It said they posed no safety threat and had not damaged the plane's popularity with travellers.

The European plane-maker is to begin building A380 wings without the defect using a new type of aluminium in 2013, which means aircraft delivered from 2014 onwards.

"The EASA's (European Aviation Safety Agency) approval is being finalised now," a spokesman said. "The new design should be approved before the middle of July," when Britain's Farnborough air show is held.

The A380, which entered service in 2007, is the world's biggest passenger jet and a key product in Airbus's line-up as it battles its main rival, US giant Boeing, for the top spot in the world civil airliner industry.